Railcars have played a significant role in Black history, particularly during the era of segregation in the United States.

One of the most infamous incidents involving railcars in Black history is the case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Homer Plessy, a light-skinned Black man, was arrested for refusing to leave a whites-only railcar in Louisiana. This case ultimately led to the "separate but equal" doctrine being upheld by the Supreme Court, allowing for segregation on public transportation and other facilities.

In response to segregation on trains, the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South to the North saw many Black individuals leaving behind the segregated railcars of the South for the promise of better opportunities and less discrimination in northern cities.

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, there were several significant protests and acts of resistance on railcars. One famous example is the arrest of Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and eventually led to the desegregation of public transportation in the city.

Overall, railcars played a crucial role in the everyday lives and struggles of Black Americans during the era of segregation, with many individuals using trains as a means of both oppression and resistance.